All airlines based in Saudi Arabia have been instructed by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to allow only vaccinated citizens to travel internationally. From August 9th, unvaccinated citizens will no longer be allowed to leave the kingdom.

Saudi Gazette reports that only those who had received two vaccine doses would be allowed to travel abroad. Saudi Arabia recognizes the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson Johnson vaccines.

Citizens under the age of 12 don’t need to be vaccinated. Instead, they must take out insurance approved by the Saudi Central Bank to protect against the risk of infection. Also, if a citizen can prove they had the virus within the last six months and have had one dose of the vaccine, they can travel internationally.

There are over 1,00 new cases a day, with a similar number declared as “recovered” each day. Therefore, the stricter measures seem to be preventative rather than reactionary.